Mobile Apps in the Classroom

Education, there's an app for that! Here, I'll show you a few mobile apps that could be used in an elementary classroom. All of the Apps listed are free to use!

Rocket Speller

This App helps student learn to spell in a fun and exciting way! It's very accessible because it's free. Would be great for kids to use in class or at home, if the child does not have their own phone they could use a parent's phone (this could increase parental involvement as well!). One drawback is that this tool is only available through Apple, so an alternative could be chosen for student with different types of phones or with computer access.

Puppet Pals

Puppet Pals HD allows students to put together stories using puppets. This could be used in a language arts class or drama class to begin to learn storytelling. Would also be great to use to demonstrate understanding of a story already read in class, much like students often draw comics of stories read in class. You could have the students use this tool, draw a comic or act out a play for an assignment to add an element of choice to the project.

SkyView® Free - Explore the Universe

Skyview brings the night sky to life. For science units dealing with stars and the planets, this app could be used for when the students go out on their own to look at the stars. Provides info on planets and draws out constellations for easier understanding.

Planets

This app provides more information on planets and has night sky maps built in. Could be used alongside the sky view app or on it's own. Students could even compare the two apps and suggest ideas for improvement in each to build critical thinking within the assignment.

Toca Kitchen Monsters

Teach kids cooking with monsters! This could be done as an introduction or an extension to a cooking activity. Users get to feed the hungry monsters using a variety of ingredients and prepare the food using different food prep techniques such as boiling, slicing, heating and mixing. This app could even be used as the beginning of a conversation about nutrition and different types of food or what different animals eat.

Duolingo

Learn a second language with Duolingo! This app could be used to support a second language program. It provides immediate feedback and a variety of ways to answer questions. Available in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and English! A student whose first language is not english could use this to help them outside of school, or if the the whole class is learning a second language, this could be used as a support tool. The app provides tracking of points, so students could be assigned to finish up to a certain level. To further increase accessibility, this app is also available online for computer users at https://www.duolingo.com.